Herefordshire’s Family Outcomes Framework
Family First Criteria and Outcomes for CAF
Identifying and working with families
Parents and
children involved
in crime and antisocial behaviour
Children who have
not been
attending school
regularly
Children who
need help
Adults out of work or
at risk of financial
exclusion, and young
people at risk of
worklessness
Families affected
by domestic
violence and abuse
Parents and
children with a
range of health
problems
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Families will be identified by a number of means across the 6 main headline areas above – through information sharing of data sets with
partners or through nominations or referrals from individual professionals. This is detailed below giving the data sources for identifying
issues in families.
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Herefordshire’s early help approach is currently being developed as part of the priorities within the new Children and Young People’s Plan,
but it is expected that an early help intelligence function will be established that will triangulate intelligence from partners to understand the
issues within the family. Where the family is not already assessed and / or receiving support then their situation would be risk assessed to be
able to prioritise families for assessment and support where appropriate.

Practitioner’s working with families should undertake a well conducted family assessment, working with all family members to identify the
issues that need to be addressed. This will form the basis of an holistic family outcomes plan which will address the issues and what
outcomes the family is aiming to achieve. This in turn facilitates the actions to achieve those outcomes in a well-coordinated and effective
approach using evidence based techniques and practices.

At least 2 of the main headline areas above need to be present in the family. Practitioners will need to work with families to agree their
outcomes, including outcomes from the appropriate sections of the outcome plan below, and write them in to the CAF family
action/outcome plan.
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If an additional issue arises, or becomes apparent, during the course of any support intervention with a family, an outcome must also be
achieved for those problems to demonstrate the family has achieved significant and sustained progress.
Completing the CAF -Things to consider
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All forms can be completed electronically, however, the consent part will need to be ticked and signed by hand. Unsigned CAF forms will
not be accepted.
All forms integrate Families First identification information. Recorded outcomes should reflect those that are recommended in the
Families First Framework. The Core outcomes should be listed against the relevant criteria using the Families First terminology. There is a
Families First Support tool to use alongside the CAF and practitioners may cut and paste relevant outcomes onto the CAF form. Any
additional outcomes that are specific to that young person or family may be recorded as usual.
All forms contain a well-being scale. This is an easy to see measurement of where the family or young person thinks they are at the start
of the CAF process, during the support and finally, where they are when the CAF closes.
There is a box to measure the needs against the Herefordshire levels of need at each stage. This will help inform you if a referral to
MASH is required.
The CAF form can be submitted along with the MASH referral form(MARF) to save you having to repeat all the information again.
However, it is not a single assessment and therefore cannot replace the MARF, so the relevant sections of the CAF should be copied onto
the MARF too.
If there are no particular needs to record in a section of the CAF you can tick the ‘no concern’ box and move on. However, it may good to
record the positives!
Please send all forms via Anycomms+ please, if possible.
When the forms are received the CAF team will:
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Log them on the registry
Forward the information onto the FF team to register if appropriate.
Forward onto Homestart, if there is an action to do so (no need to complete another Homestart referral form)
Add to MAG agenda if appropriate
Monitor the progress through the support plans/MAG
When the closure form is received the CAF team will:
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Close the CAF on the registry
Record the outcomes against the FF criteria and forward to the FF team for verification.
1. Parents and children involved in crime and anti-social behaviour
a. To reduce the number of first time entrants to the youth justice system
b. To reduce the level of police call outs
c. To reduce the percentage of offenders who re-offend
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
Individual family outcomes:
Measured by:
A child who has committed a proven offence in the previous 12
months.
An adult or child who has received an anti-social behaviour
intervention (or equivalent local measure) in the last 12 months.
An adult prisoner who is less than 12 months from his/her
release date and will have parenting responsibilities on release.
An adult who is currently subject to a licence or supervision in
the community, following release from prison, and has parenting
responsibilities.
An adult currently serving a community order or suspended
sentence, who has parenting responsibilities.
Adults or children referred by professionals because their
potential crime problem or offending behaviour is of equivalent
concern to the indicators above. For example:
- racial and hate crime incidences
- repeat police call outs to the same address/location over a 6
month period
- incidences of sexual violence
- incidences of noise nuisance, fly tipping
There is a 50% reduction compared to the previous
6 months in the number of recorded offences
committed by the family
Recorded offences by
police
There is a 60% reduction compared to the previous
6 months in the number of incidences of anti-social
behaviour committed by the family
No siblings of young offenders have engaged in
anti-social behaviour and / or criminal activity in
the previous 6 months, and do not enter the youth
justice system for the first time.
Recorded incidents of
anti-social behaviour
from police, youth
offending service,
housing providers,
environmental health
teams
CAF - LP’s info
obtained and
outcome recorded on
action plan. Verified
by the Family First
team.
2. Children who have not been attending school regularly
a. To reduce the number of children and young people with permanent and fixed exclusions at school
b. To increase the % of 16-18 year olds who are in education, employment or training
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
Individual family outcomes:
Measured by:
A child who is persistently absent from school for an
average across the last 3 consecutive terms.
A child who has received at least 3 fixed term exclusions
in the last 3 consecutive school terms; or a child at
primary school who has had at least 5 school days of
fixed term exclusion in the last 3 consecutive terms; or a
child of any age who has had at least 10 days of fixed
term exclusion in the last 3 consecutive terms.
A child who is in alternative educational provision for
children with behavioural problems.
A child who has been permanently excluded from school
within the last 3 school terms.
A child who is neither registered with a school, nor being
educated in an alternative setting
A child nominated by education professionals as having
school attendance problems of equivalent concern to the
indicators above because he/she is not receiving a
suitable full time education.
All school age children in the family have attended
school at least 90% of possible sessions across the
last three school terms
Schools census and
school attendance
data
All school age children in the family have fewer
than three fixed term exclusions within the last
three school terms.
CAF- LP’s info and
outcome data
recorded on action
plan.
3. Children who need help
a.
b. To reduce the number of children and young people needing to be looked after
c. To increase from 60% to 80% the proportion of all children achieving a Good Level of Development at the end of the Early Years
Foundation Stage
d. To maintain the number of children subject to child protection in line with statistical neighbours
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
Individual family outcomes:
Measured by:
A child who has been identified as needing early
help
A child who has been assessed as needing early help.
A child ‘in need’ under Section 17, Children Act 1989.
A child who has been subject to an enquiry under
Section 47, Children Act 1989.
A child subject to a Child Protection Plan.
Families who are eligible are taking up the 2 and 3
year old offer of nursery places and attended 85% of
their sessions in the last 6 months
Early years take up figures
A child on a CAF plan due to:
A child nominated by professionals as having
problems of equivalent concern to the indicators
above. For example:
-children experiencing / at risk of poor parenting
-children with developmental delay
- children at risk of exploitation (including sexual
exploitation)
- children identified as not achieving expected levels
of attainment in school
- children with challenging behaviour
- teenage parents
- young looked after mother / father who have
already had children removed
- young carers
There is an appropriate de-escalation or step-down of
a safeguarding plan – i.e. from child protection (CP) to
children in need (CIN) to Common Assessment
Framework (CAF) and there is no re-referral to social
care after 6 months following the end of the plan
Children in the family assessed as “children in need”
are closed to social care and there are no referrals
made to MASH for at least 6 months.
Children in the family are making good progress at
school or a good/expected level of development in
Early Years
Six months after an intervention, parents report
improved confidence and competence in parenting
Six months after an intervention, the family continue
to take part in a wider range of community activity
Social care FWI records - Children’s
Wellbeing Directorate, Herefordshire
Council
Early Years Foundation Stage Profile
Annual Results or 2 Year Assessment
Results and Integrated Reviews
Teachers reports/assessments. Family /
health worker case notes /assessment
Parents assessment/Practitioner case
notes .
Examples could include library
membership, joining sport/leisure
groups or involvement in specific
activities
CAF - LP’s info obtained and outcome
recorded on action plan.
4. Adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion, and young people at risk of worklessness
a.
b. To reduce the number of people reliant on out of work benefits
c. To increase the % of 16-18 year olds who are in education, employment or training *
d. To reduce the % of children in low-income families
e. To increase the number of employers across the county paying the living wage / average wage
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
An adult in receipt of out of work benefits or
An adult who is claiming Universal Credit and subject to
work related conditions.
A child who is about to leave school, has no/ few
qualifications and no planned education, training or
employment.
A young person who is not in education, training or
employment.
Parents and families nominated by professionals as being
at significant risk of financial exclusion. This may include
those with problematic / unmanageable levels and forms
of debt and those with significant rent arrears. Could
also include, for example:
- families with housing difficulties e.g. overcrowding,
under notice of eviction or homeless
- repeat attendance at food banks
Individual family outcomes:
An adult or young person in the family has secured
and maintained a job (full or part time) for 6
months (individuals claiming JSA) and 3 months
(individuals claiming ESA)
An adult or young person in the family have made
progress to work through volunteering placement,
progression into an apprenticeship, traineeship or
further accredited learning
An adult or young person in the family has
completed and achieved a qualification,
apprenticeship or achieved other milestones that
supports progression into continuous paid work
Family have reduced debt or risk of financial
exclusion, e.g. reduced council tax or housing
arrears and are accessing eligible benefits including
free school meals
* Public Health Outcomes Framework
Measured by:
Individual no longer
claiming out of work
benefits, evidenced
through DWP
automated benefits
check; young person
not registered as NEET
Practitioner records
Family outcome plan
CAF - LP’s info
obtained and
outcome recorded on
action plan. Verified
by family First team
5. Families affected by domestic violence and abuse
a. To increase reporting of domestic violence and abuse into formal reporting routines
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
Individual family outcomes:
Measured by:
A young person or adult known to local services has
experienced, is currently experiencing or at risk of
experiencing domestic violence or abuse.
A young person or adult who is known to local services
as having perpetrated an incident of domestic violence
or abuse in the last 12 months.
The household or family member has been subject to a
police call out for at least one domestic incident in the
last 12 months.
There is a reduction in domestic violence or abuse
within the family for at least 6 months.
Family worker case
notes; local risk
assessment tools
Families that are affected by domestic violence and
abuse are actively engaged with support services,
such as WMWA.
Perpetrator of domestic abuse is actively engaged
and successfully completes a perpetrator program
Recorded police callouts to domestic
incidences
No reports of
incidences from other
agencies
CAF- LP’s info
obtained. Outcomes
recorded on action
plan.
6. Parents and children with a range of health problems
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
To reduce the prevalence of dental decay at age 5 so that the mean is equal or better than the England mean*
To increase to 95% the take up for all routine immunisations in 0-5 year olds*
To reduce hospital admissions for unintentional and deliberate injuries in 0-4 year olds from 25th percentile to between 25th – 75th
percentile*
To reduce the proportion of pregnant women who are smokers at the time of delivery to above the 75th percentile for England*
To reduce the prevalence of young people smoking, drinking and misusing substances
Indicators - what issues could be present in a family
Individual family outcomes:
Measured by:
An adult with mental health problems who has parenting
responsibilities or
Family is registered with local GP
Family/health worker case
notes / assessment or GP
practice confirmation.
A child with mental health problems.
An adult with drug or alcohol problems who has parenting
responsibilities, or
A child with a drug or alcohol problem.
A new mother who has a mental health or substance
misuse problem and other health factors associated with
poor parenting. This could include mothers who are
receiving a Universal Partnership Plus service or
participating in a Family Nurse Partnership
Adults with parenting responsibilities or children who are
nominated by health professionals as having any mental
and physical health problems of equivalent concern to the
indicators above. This may include unhealthy behaviours,
resulting in problems like obesity, malnutrition or diabetes.
Other examples could include:
- children repeatedly not attending medical appointments
- individuals identified as attending A&E repeatedly over a
sustained period
* Public Health Outcomes Framework
Family is registered with local dentist and attended a check-up in the
last 12 months.
Children have received age appropriate health immunisations /
vaccinations
Family member has engaged with a smoking cessation programme and
is demonstrating progress towards cessation (shown by progress over
the previous 6 months)
Family member has engaged with a drug / alcohol treatment
programme and is demonstrating progress towards reducing harmful
behaviour (shown by progress over the previous 6 months).
Family member has engaged with a healthy weight programme and is
demonstrating progress towards a healthy lifestyle (shown by progress
over the previous 6 month period)
Pregnant women are under the care of a midwife and have had an antenatal assessment by a Health Visitor
All children aged 2½ years have had an age/stage health assessment.
Family outcome plan
CAF LP’s info obtained and
outcomes recorded on
action plan.